Prime mover.



M. W. JOHNSON, In. PRIME MOVER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. I9II. 1,140,5 1 5. Patented May 25, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

M. W. JOHNSONJR. PRIME MOVER;

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 2, I91]. 1 ,140,51 5. Patented May 25, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 4 TTOR/VEY M. W. JOHNSON, JR.

PRIME MOVER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. I911.

1,140,5 1 5. Patented May 25, 1915.

EETS$HEET 3.

A TTORNEV MARK imumnnson; JRL, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

' PRIME MOVER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915 Application filed November 2, 1911. Serial mama,

. f all'cvhem it may concern.

Be itknown that I,=MAR1': JoHNsoN, Jr.,'-acitizen of the United'States of America, residing at Atlanta, in'the county of' Fulton and State of- Georgia, have invented certain 'ne'w'and useful' Im rovements. in PrimeMovers', of which the following is a s ecification; I

The principal objects to providean engine, first, of higher efi i-' ciencythan the modern gas en ine by "el1m1'- natingjthe' losses of heat inherent in that engine on account of the necessity of cylinder coolingfand waste from the exhaust, and second, of more economic design by increas in "the mean effective pressure, due to the utilization of a continuously circulating heat and power distributing medium" in a "closed circuit and under high'initial pressure.

Engines operating by means of the adiabatic compression and expansion of a superheated gas have proven the superlor efficiency of converting heat energy into motive power through such a medium over that of a liquid vaporized under pressure The gain of efliciency of the gas engine'is due to "theelimination of the vaporlzation and condensing features; but still its economy .is not as great as possible owing to cylinder cooling and waste of heat by free exhaus't', by the eliminationof which the efiicien'cyimay'be nearly, and, under favorable conditions, more'than doubled.

Since the only .practical'known method of generating, large {quantities of heat is by combustion, and since "the temperature of combustion of "all fuels available for 'this purpose is too highfor direct use inside the cylinder of "an""engi'ne' "without cooling, 1t cylinder follows" that the eliminationof cooling can be accomplished 'onlylilby theelimination of-the cause thereof; ence, I

propose to use external combustion jaccompanied by lower temperature'of'the working medium such 'as will not-be injurious-to the materials of the cylinder. p,

As to the loss of heat by free exhaust, this is due to the fact that any gas-taken'at atmospheric pressure and temperature, compressed, heated and then expanded to atmospheric pressure, will emerge at a temperature above that of the atmosphere very nearly as many degrees as the degrees of heat added-after compression, which latter represents the quantityiof "working. heat available for power. Instead of letting this of my in venti'on'are heat go'to waste, the greater part of it may be returned into,the'engine by passing the exhaust through atubular heater, or heattransfer, in which the heat of the exhaust is transferredto the compressed gas before the latter reaches the'point of application of the heat of combustion, thus reducing the quantityof heat necessaryto be added in order to bring thegasup 'to'the proper temperature for expansion.

Furthermore, after the exhaust'leaves the heat transfer,jit then may be passed through a cooler, cooled downnearly to atmospheric temperature "'and returned to'the compression cylinder inlet, thus closing the circuit of the heat medium instead of having it open tofthe atmosphere as with free exhaust.

' This permits of'the use of gas at a greater density than if open to the atmosphere, which gives a'hi'gherv mean efiective pressure in the 'cylinder's, and therefore the piston area may be reduced accordingly, and the enormous bulk of the modern gas engine, especially when using blast furnace gas, may be' 'so reduced" as to bring the cost of construction" to'a'point even'belo w that of a high pressure,"high' speed. steam engine of the same power.

In my external combustion closed cycle gas engine, the above mentioned advantages are gainedaswi'll'be hereinafter more fully describedj and" illustrated. The fuel .is. burned outside 'of' the cylinders, and neither the'fuel nor the products of combustion enters into them,"and the fuel may be any available combustible of constant, or variable heat 'value'without causing the engine to kick" In referring to my'e gine asa gas engine I do not mean 'to'refe'r to the fuel used to apply'the "external heat but rather to the working-medium in which heat is transmitscribed whichmay vary widely within the scope of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings illustrative the linezvm of Fig. 9.

of my invention -Figure -1 is a plan view of a power plant equipment according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammat c view:

illustrating the circuits of the heat distribute ing medium and the air and gas for the external heater for said medium. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views of an, air heater, a heat transfer cylinder, and a main heater for the heat distributing medium, respectively. Fig. 6 is a partial plan view enlarged of a heat transfer cylinder with the top cover removed, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of Fig. 6 broken away to show the inner tubes. Fig. 8 illustrates the manner in which the various cylinders are connected to headers. Fig.9 is a side elevation of the furnace for supplying the external heat to the system. Fig. 10 is an enlarged se tional Similar reference numerals refer to simi- I lar parts throughout the drawings.

The drawings illustrate my invention in connection with a tandem engine 1, an air blower 2 driven by a motor 3, a cooling apparatus 4 for the heat distributing medium prior to its compression, a main heater 5 for said medium just before it is delivered to the motor cylinder, a furnace 6 to supply heat to said main heater, a heater 7 for the fuel gas before it is delivered to said furnace, an air heater 8 for heating the air that is delivered to said furnace, and a compression cylinder 9 in line with the heat insulated non-cooled working cylinder 10 of the motor, which compression cylinder raises the pressure and temperature of the heat distributing medium before it enters the heat inders 11 which form the heat transfer- These cylinders 11 have double heads at each end, the inner bottom and top heads being numbered 14 and 15 (Fig. 5), and formed preferably as integral partitions, the outer top head 16 and bottom head 13 being shown connected by nuts and bolts 17 to the flanged ends of the cylinder. Tubes 18 are arranged between the inner heads 15 so that the me-.

dium entering the lower end 13 of a cylin der through the pipe 12 will pass up through the tubes 18 into the top of the cyhnder and pass off thence through a pipe 19 to the top of the main heater 5. The pipe 12 is preferably connected to two cross headers '20 (Fig.

8 .which are connected by short pipe sectlons 21 so as to deliver the medium tangenview taken along cylinders and in like manner the pipe 19.

connects with cross headers 22, which are in turn connected by short pipe sections, similar to 21, with the upper top ends of the cylinders above the heads 15. The pipe 19 leading from the several heat transfer cylinders 11 is connected by short tangential pipes 23 with the tops of the'main heater cylinders 5 above the heads 15 therein, these cylinders being formed similarly to the cylinders 11. The medium flows down through the tubes in cylinders 5 and passes out from the bottom thereof through pipes 24 which lead from each cylinder tangentially and enter the pipe 25, which leads to the power cylinder 10 of the motor 1, being exhausted therefrom through a pipe 26 which leads to the heat transfer and connects with the several cross headers 27 (Fig. 5), which are connected to tangential inlet pipes 28 which enter the cylinders just below the heads 15.

ers 30 to a pipe 31 which leads to the cooler,-

being connected by tangential pipes 32 with 1 the tops of the several cylinders 4 above the heads 15 therein. The medium flows down through the tubes in the cylinders 4 and passes out from the bottom ends. thereof through suitable outlets to a pipe 33 which enters the compression cylinder 9 thereby establishing a complete closed circuit for the circulating power medium.

I make provision for preheating the air which is delivered to the furnace 6 as follows: The air enters a duct 34 and is forced by' the blower to enter the bottom ends of the cooler cylinders 4 just above the lower partition 14 therein. These cylinders 4 are similar to the main heater cylinders 5- (Fig. 4).

The air circulates upwardly about the tubes in the cylinder 4 and in the opposite direction to the flow of the medium inside the tubes and passes out through a pipe 35-which leads to the air heater 8, the pipe 35 branching, as shown in Fig. 1, and being connected to the tangential inlet pipes 36 which enter the top heads of the cylinders above the partitions 15, causes the air to flow downwardly through the tubes in the air heater cylinders 8 and to pass off through suitable outlets and cross headers to a pipe 37 which leads from below the heads 14 to the furnace 6. A branch pipe 38 conducts the heated air to the circular passage 39 surrounding the gas inlet nozzle 40 for the furnace. he preheated air is in this manner delivered to the furnace at two points, one to produce the proper mixture of. air and gas in the gas inlet nozzle to insure perfect combustion at high temperature in the combustion chamber 6 of the furnace and -the,.oth erto supply sufiicient air for reducing thetemperature to the desired degree in the main heating chamber of'the'finfnace. The products oi combustion flow from the-furnaeeth-rough a pipe 41- (Fig; 4') an'd 'are 'delivered hy inlet pipes' 42 to 'thebottomportiohs of the main heater cylinders 5 above the-hesdsw there- These roducts of combestiomeircuiate upwardly inthe cylinders contrary to the direetion of how er the circulating medium in the tubes therein and passoutthrongh outlet pipes 43 to the pipe 44 whichleadsto the bottom of the air heating cylinders Siefltering same above the hfeafls 14,- sewingup wardly about the tubes there-i-n' and sing outthe-pipe 45' to the stack 46; A raneh pipe-47 leads from thepipe 45 ans-delivers a portion of the products of-combustion into the gas heater 7 abovethe' head; 14 therein, theseproducts returning te -the pipe 46 througha pipe .48; Gas is supplied to the furnacethrougha pipe 49whieh enters the top of the gas heater T flowin" downthrough the tubes therein-and out rom'the' bottom of the heater" through a pipe 50 which discharges intethe nozzie 40 of the furnace- I he circulatingpower distributing medium after leaving the compression cylinder 9' first? enters-the heat transfer"13iwhere it takes up the surplus heat of theexhaust; and then goes-to the main heater 5 tahihg up ad ditionaiheat which is supplied from the furnace by the-combustion of fuel. From there the circulating medium enters the working cylinder '10 in which itexpands and drivesthe-engine I and when it exhausts therefrom it enters the-transfer '11 outside the tubesand gives up-itstheat te that-portion of thecirculating'medium which is at the same time flowing inside the tubes of'the transfer to'the heater-5." Afterthus giving up its heat thecirculatingmedimn enters the cooler 4 where its temperature is further reduced 'andfrom where it-is-returned to the compression-cylinder 9- where it is again compressed and' continu'esthe cycle of action just described.

Free air is drawniiithrough the'pipe 34' by the blower 2 and-passes firstthroughthe cooler '4 where it removes the. residual heat from the exhaust'portion-of the circulating medium and thus becomes warm. It. then enters the air heater .8, taking on more heat from the-exhaust o'ffthe heater 5' and then goes to the furnace -6,-' where it reaches itsma-ximum temperature by mingling with the gases of combustion and passes up through the main heater 5. Here it gives a part of its heat to the circulating'medium which-is flowing through the tubes in the main heater 5 in going to the workingcylinder'w. From the main heater 5 the air returns to the -air heater 8 and there circulates around the tubes through which the air is flowing to the furnace and imparts its residual heat. to

said air. After leaving the air. heater, the exhausting air enters the-draft stack-46 at a comparatively low temperature and goes to waste, a small part of it being shunted through the gas-heater? 'to-raise the tempBI'Bt1H'6-* er the entering gas.

Thefirel gasfirst entersthe gas heater 7 where it is warmed, and then enters the ignition'cha mber 6 of furnacetr, where it comes inteco'ntact with hot air "from the-air heater 8 flewiirg' through pipe 38* in sufiicient quantity -to give a-proper mixture and combastion. The ignited gases flow atmaximum heat chamber 6* into chamber Gand there mingle with the main current of heated airentering through pipe 37, which lowers the -temperature of the gases of combustion and raisesthe temperature of the incoming raised-inthe transfer and still again raised in the main heater untilit is-ample for the purposes required. For example, it may enter the cylinder 10 approximately with a temperature of 900 degrees and under a pressure of 614 pounds. The exhaust from the motor will then have a pressure of 442 pounds and'will have a temperature that will be above that of the atmosphere approximately as many degrees as the degrees of heat added after .compression, which latter represents the quantity of working heat available for power.

In'the example given, the exhaust will be approximately 77 7 degrees, and instead of letting this heat go to waste the greater part of it=may be returned to the motor by passingthe exhaust through the heat transfer 11 andthrough the cooler 4, the heat being transferred to the motor fluid and to the air in the cylinders 4 and 11 and thereby becoming ultimately eflectiv'e in the main heater 5 to raise the temperature of the motor fluid after compression.

Whereas it is preferable to use the inclosed circulating system by' reason of the fact that I am enabled to reduce the piston area proportionately to the mean efl'ective pressure of the circulating medium, yet manymaterial advantages would be gained for my invention as used in connection for openicirculating systems where the air or gases are taken in and exhausted atsubstantially atmospheric .temperature, as, for instance, exhausted through the valve '51 (Fig. 2), and the air or gas being taken in through the valve 52. When used on a closed circulating system the valves 51 and 52 are moved to close the free exhaust and open a pipe 33 'for the circulation of gases from the cooler 4 to the compressor 9.

To maintain the quantity of the circulating medium in the closed circulating system shown, I may provide any suitable means for introducing anhydrous air compressed to or above the initial compression which the circulating-medium has. I show in Fig. 1 a compressor 53 in which air suitably dried, may be compressed and delivered through a pipe 54: into the pipe 33, or at any other .desired point in the piping system for the power medium.- I claim as a part of my in vention also the process involving the continuous use of a body of non-condensing gas under high initial compression for the generation of power in an external combustion gas engine, which may be of the reciprocating, rotary, or turbinev type.'

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An external combustion gas engine comprising a chamber wherein the energy of heat in non-condensing gases is converted into motion, a working element ,in said chamber driven by said gases, means to compress said gases, a heat transfer apparatus vand means to cause both the compressed supply gases for and the exhaust gases from said chamber to flow .therethrough insuch proximity as to conduct heat from the exhaust gases to the compressed gases to assist in raising the temperature of thelatter when about to enter said chamber, an extraneous source of heat to raise said compressed gases to the desired temperature before delivering them to said chamber, and means to transfer heat from the exhaust gases, leaving said. heat transfer to said extraneous source of heat to augment it, substantially as described. e

A gasengine having an external. combustion furnace, a heat insulated noncooled working cylinder, a compression cylinder, means to pass a body of non-condensing working gas operating under varying pressure and temperature through the cylinders but separated from admixture with the fuel, air and products of combustion, a blower adapted to force a blast of air always at atmospheric pressure through said furnace, a main heater .into which the heat in presence of two witnesses.

from the furnace 'is conveyed by said air blast and conducted therefrom to the working gas, a heat transfer in which the heat of the exhaust is conducted from the low pressure to the high pressure side of the working gas, an air heater, a cooler in which the working gas before compression is cooled by the air blast and the heat therefrom conducted by the air blast to said air heater, means to further heat the air blast in said heater by the return blast from the main heater, and means to conduct the air blast thus highly heated into the furnace.

3. In a power generating apparatus, a

closed circuit-piping system for the motor fluid, means to compress the fluid, and a heater to heat the. compressed fluid which comprises a gas furnace, means to pass the products of combustion therefrom successively through said heater, an air heater and a gas heater, and means to supply air and gas to said furnace in a pre-heated condition by passing same through said air and gas heaters respectively.

4. In a power generating apparatus, a closed circuit piping' system for the motor fluid, a compressor, a heater, an expansion cylinder, and coolingmeans which are severally connected up in said piping system, said cooling mechanism comprising an air cooler and a heat exchanger having juxtaposed conduits through one set of which the motor fluid flows from' the'expansion cylinder and through the other of which it flows-from the compression cylinder to the heater, said through said heater and air heater, and

means to supply air to said furnace in a preheated condition by passing the same through said .air described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature heater, substantially as MARK W. 'Witnesses:

Noun: WELSH, R. D. J oHNs'roN. Jr.

JOHNSON, JR. 

